AFL 2 years ago

Richmond vs. Greater Western Sydney – The Last Five Years

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 04: Players wrestle during the round 14 AFL match between the Richmond Tigers and the Greater Western Sydney Giants at Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 4, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Richmond will play Greater Western Sydney at Manuka Oval in Canberra this Saturday afternoon for the first time since the Giants entered the AFL in 2012. From 2012-2015, the Tigers have won every game against the Giants but given the rapid rate of improvement in GWS this season, that trend appears to be unlikely to continue.

As mentioned previously, the AFL has permitted the Giants to play for premiership points since the 2012 season, despite the Club being founded three years prior to this. This means that they have been part of the competition for the past four years. So far as this season goes, the Tigers have struggled whilst the Giants have gone from strength to strength. A comparison between the two Clubs demonstrates this quite clearly. Richmond averages 62.4 tackles per game whilst Greater Western Sydney averages 67.0, the Tigers average 47.2 for inside 50s per game whilst the Giants average 57.8 and Richmond averages 36.4 clearances per game whilst Greater Western Sydney averages 40.9.

As the two teams have only played five times thus far, a top five biggest winning margins isn’t feasible. Therefore, below is the brief history between the two Clubs, with Richmond leading the head-to-head 5-0.